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I finally decided that the piano needs to go bad enough to actually take it apart. Beginning was no easy feat since the top of it had been the repository of a large collection of fiber waiting to be woven. So many projects, so little time.

Once cleared off I took the screwdriver to the hinges on the top and realized that I didn’t need to unscrew anything – everything was so loose it just pulled apart. The top was removed in three sections. These beautiful pieces of wood I will find some way to repurpose.

All of the felts, leather, even wood have turned to dust in this piano. I didn’t realize how far gone the instrument was until it was opened up. There really was no restoration that could have happened here. It would have been a complete rebuild.

The harp is one of the most beautiful things about this piano. Hand painted in gold, reds and greens it shows the artistry of the time in which it was built. Once the strings were off you could actually see why it’s called the harp – it looks like one. The question remains, how many strong men is it going to take to remove it, it’s cast iron.

I’ve also decided to save the keyboard. It’s ebony and ivory which is illegal to sell no matter how old it is. I started to think about all of the hands that have pressed these keys and it began to take on a magic of its own so it stays for the time being with ideas floating around on how to repurpose it with the wood that’s been salvaged and other odd bits and pieces.

There is interest in the beautifully carved legs so the only piece to get rid of will be the case.

I thought that getting rid of this instrument would be a painful experience – in some ways it is – but in taking it apart and realizing what bad condition it really was in made the job easier. I also learned a lot about the actual mechanics and how long it takes to unscrew hundreds of screws.

Once it is out of the room there are things that need to be mended, painted, reworked. It has been in the same place since the late 70’s I think. Once that’s done, a rug will be put in place to make way for another loom that has been waiting patiently in the shed for its moment. That’s a story for another day.

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It must be the sun becoming warmer (or shining for a change) that has had me doing some cleaning. It could be the fact that the cobwebs have taken over the house and clearing them out always involves moving everything in a room. Let’s call it spring cleaning, that sounds more hopeful when it’s still mid winter.

The truth is that things have been weighing on me of late – big things, huge things. When my father died he left a collection of some of the biggest machines any ordinary man could own. A couple of them I always saw as hobbies but there was a point where it crossed over into obsession. The time has come for us to dismantle it. There is a huge building that houses 2 large stationary steam engines and all that goes with it including a steam turbine generator and a sawmill run by diesel and steam. Equipment so large that a rigger will have to be hired to get it out and moved.

It’s fairly easy to ignore that building with everything in it. Walking into it is a time capsule of sorts but it weighs on you. We are not getting any younger and the idea of leaving that to my kids is not appealing.

Every year about this time we make lists of the things that need to be done, sorted in order of importance. This list begins by realizing that your kitchen is so cold and could be fixed in an hour or two with very little effort. You just have to wait until Spring to do it. This is the list that extends through the year consisting of all the maintenance and repairs that every homeowner has.

There is another list and that concerns the cleaning out of the property. It’s the death cleaning or döstädning as the Swedish call it. This has taken some time to embrace, probably because it’s my childhood home – there are memories I’m not ready to let go of and it causes me to hang on to things that no one would understand. In talking about it Bill very astutely said “These were your father’s dreams not ours”. That one comment changed my perspective on a lot of things. I’ve gotten to the point in life where my list of long term dreams is beginning to be whittled away. The sawmill is an example. Ten years ago we thought we would use it. There are always people who want lumber cut and it could also be useful to us in the repair of our buildings. Last year we realized we were probably never going to use it and said it out loud. We found it a home with someone who will use it and take care of it and be part of his dream.

The steam equipment is another story.

The out buildings are the bigger problem but there are things in the house that present similar challenges. There’s the piano. A huge, rosewood Chickering square grand – built about 1870. It needs a full restoration. No one plays, no one ever played it (well my mother hacked out a couple of tunes and my uncle would play something wildly out of tune when he visited – all vivid childhood memories). It is large, heavy and no one wants it. I’ve contacted museums, previous owners, piano restorers, craigslist, social media offering to give it away if someone will move it. Nothing. That leaves taking it apart and getting it out of here. I’ve been saying I was going to do it for two years but haven’t, probably hoping something magical will happen. It’s got to go, now it’s come down to what pieces I will keep. (Yes, more junk in storage – baby steps).

I realize that I’m entering into old age (although I will always be 27 years old in my head) and in the paring down of dreams comes the need to get rid of stuff so no one else has to do it. Döstädning, death cleaning, not a sad thing at all but really done with an eye to the future.

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To some observers (including my family I’m sure), this may look like a jumbled mess of unrelated items that could easily be boxed up and brought to the transfer station. In looking at the photo I can see where you might come to that conclusion but every single thing has someone or some memory attached to it. It’s not a shrine – it’s a catalyst to stories of my life for the past 60+ years. Almost every item evokes a pleasant memory for me. The purple bear I made while sitting with my husband’s grandfather in the hospital during his last illness, not a sad time at all, but my hands always need to be busy. The velvet it’s made of came from a fellow bear maker and mentor in England. There are glass marbles and weights made for me. Vintage sewing objects from sewing relatives – there’s often a lot to learn by opening a woman’s sewing box. A family clock with a child’s plastic dog on it, an old motorcycle license plate, bone buttons.

The objects I hold most dear are the images. Some of them I must confess are from people I will never know, the small collection in a box made of photographs are vintage prints of children with dogs, not always easy to find but endearing.

Then there are two larger images. The one on the mantle was one acquired at the memorial service of a dear friend. There were boxes and boxes of his images that his wife thought would be better off in his friends homes. It’s a posterized image of a cemetery – kind of ridiculous in a way and says everything anyone could ever say to me about its maker.

The newest addition I hung a little over a week ago. It is stunning to me in its perfection – the print to the framing to the signature. Paul has now been gone almost 5 years. This package was brought to my office by his widow and her words were “You’re either going to love me or hate me for this.” I confess there were some mixed emotions in unwrapping it – strong emotions. A little like reopening a wound, but I understood the intent behind the gift and after looking at it for quite some time I placed it with all my other memories.

I think the story attached to this won’t necessarily be about the maker, it will be about the giver. We met at photography school 40 years ago and the only thing that kept us in contact with each other at all was Paul until we began working together about two years ago. Now I see her almost daily and value her friendship in so many ways . . . so many.

Life is weird. I think it just get weirder as you get older. Maybe you have to pay attention but as I age so many things seem to have come full circle. People you have let go come back in various ways and for me it has all been good.

In thinking about New Year’s resolutions I thought the best I could do was to make more of an effort here. There are so many positives in an otherwise negative world that I need to bring them to light – for me. If you find any value in it follow along, I’ll try to keep it interesting.

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The holidays are over and the cold snap has broken so I’m no longer hauling wood and loading a stove every hour or so and fretting about farm animals suffering in below zero temperatures. There are difficulties getting anything done in a timely manner this time of year, not the least of which is the lame internet access available where I live. Getting media uploaded for publication can take days – yes, days. Consequently this particular post will be without video, bummer.

A few weeks ago began the loom move I wrote about in A Warped Sense of Fun. There must be something about holiday weekends that attracts us to seemingly impossible tasks, New Year’s seemed to work for those of us committed to follow through.

Let’s begin by saying it was cold. Bone chilling, icy, snow on the ground, windy, cold. Dressed for the weather we arrived at Peggy’s barn to initially figure out how to get the engine hoist where it needed to go. It was heavy, on wheels and there was nothing but a snow/ice-covered path to get there.

The legs came off and on a sled it went. The beginning of a day of figuring out how to do things with what we had.

A lot of planning and discussion went on with this group. How to move the base, where to place the head, how to pick it up. Slow and steady was the call of the day, much different from the last session where everything seemed so rushed.

Planning – tools and parts in place.

Wondering if a plan will actually work.

For as much trouble as we had getting the head off and moved initially things seemed to go more smoothly moving it around in the shop and putting it back where it belonged. Although about this time I was thinking my father and grandfather would be thinking of much easier ways to do this stuff (or laughing at our ineptitude). Knowledge and experience, it’s what we’ve lost and none of us are the wiser until we work with things whose time has long passed.

Up and put in place.

Slow and steady.

As this was hanging in midair I couldn’t help but admire the paint Lenny had so painstakingly applied during its restoration. It was a true labor of love.

Trying to get things put together.

Once the head was on the beater was put in place.

Finally it looked like a power loom again (something I wasn’t sure I’d ever see).

These are the faces of people who have accomplished something. I love being involved in this sort of thing. It makes you think until your brain hurts. Everything you do has risks. Everyone was thrilled (especially Peggy) that the big parts were all moved and put back into place without anyone getting hurt – the potential was certainly there.

We went in for some coffee and soup once the work was done for the day, a time to rehash what had just happened. Richard commented on what a satisfying afternoon it had been. It was a considerably different atmosphere on this workday. Evenly paced, well thought out. We did have our token youngster with us, we needed a strong back. Andy is an old soul though, he seems to be channeling the mechanics of way back. He gets it and loves it. He is in this to see it run, not just to get it moved. Good work had been done. The loom has a way to go before it’s running but we no longer need a hoist to do the work.

I lost my grandfather decades ago, I was 20 at the time. There are pieces of him everywhere still in the house I live in. My father never got rid of anything – he had a desk drawer set up exactly as his father had, with his father’s things – a shrine of sorts. Family members kept the stories alive. The woolen mills were there lives. I am a kinesthetic learner. Watching Peggy weave, learning to build chain, winding bobbins, fixing broken threads, just listening to the loom run always seems to bring up more questions. This is a visceral way to learn but it has given me the sights and sounds and smells of something that is part of who I am and where I come from. Figuring out the mechanics is something we have all done, back generations and it feels comfortable and comforting to recognize that this sort of thing is genetic. It’s also fun to work with people whose brains work the same way as mine.

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Every year, upon reflection, I realize what a charmed life I lead. I live in a beautiful place, have wonderful family and friends, a roof over my head, hot and cold running water, good food on the table and the company of a charming menagerie of animals. Life has been busy and the blog has suffered because of it, at least in the amount of time that has been dedicated to writing. Something I should work on. As you all know I am a visual person. I try to take a photograph a day and my review consists of my favorites for the year. All for different reasons.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Thanks so much for being a part of all of this and a happy, blessed New Year to all!

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Weavers are a crazy lot, well maybe not all weavers. My circle of weaving/fiber friends tend to lean towards crazy and I’m thinking that is probably the attraction for me. The mechanics – the equipment – is really the draw. I love the structure of it all including the cloth which makes me wonder sometimes why we are not more sane.

Now add to this mix a bunch of enthusiastic boys (mid to late 20’s) and an incredibly heavy, cast iron power-loom and you have a recipe for a real anxiety producing experience.

This is Peggy’s barn frame loom. She’s a beauty and the first one I ever used.

I have to start with this because it took on a whole new purpose this past Saturday. There are three Crompton & Knowles W3 power looms in Peggy’s weave room right now and there was a much smaller one in a very small room on an upper floor. She decided to move it into her weaving room so it could be used. It’s a beauty. 48 inches wide, having a complete restoration done by Lenny, the loom mechanic. To my knowledge it hasn’t been run since the restoration, but I digress.

I was called about the move a couple of weeks ago and wasn’t able to attend the first phase. Last week I got another call and also volunteered husband Bill (the mechanic) and my son-in-law (the young back).

Before we left the house Bill loaded up a chain fall, pipes, bars and other heavy equipment moving tools. He met Richard in the room with the loom – the other member of the boomer generation with some knowledge of how to do these things. They formed a plan (meanwhile the boys dove in).

I was tasked with taking apart the barn frame loom on the floor directly above the loom we were moving – the boys decided that the loom would make the perfect mount for the chain fall to pick up the head of the power-loom below (at 600 lbs. mind you) and proceeded to cut a hole in the barn floor. I cannot begin to express the amount of anxiety I had about this. We love our looms and I was beginning to think we were about to sacrifice one for the sake of the other.

The loom was moved over the hole, angle iron was placed on the top and the chain was lowered and attached to the head of the power-loom ready to lift it off so the based could be moved out from under it.

There was a slight problem because of the yelling that needed to be done on the parts of both sets of people – on different floors – on when to stop and start, up or down with the chain. I worried for naught, the loom frame didn’t even groan.

A 2×4 was placed through the heavy end of the head and the chain attach but moving it proved to be quite the balancing act. Ratchet straps were deployed and the moving continued.

The engine hoist was brought in and the transfer from the chain fall was made.

With the help of young backs the head was lifted off of the base. We got to a point where it could stop and all had a lunch in the barn.

Where the geezers conferred some more. I’ve found that the older the guy the more planning they do. I think these guys were thinking much farther ahead on this game – like about putting it back together or getting it down the hill into the basement.

With all hands on deck the base was moved from under the head.

Then the head was moved out onto a second trailer.

What a beautiful piece of machinery she is.

Once the base pieces were moved into the weave room the head was ready to follow. (Yes, that’s a Maypole braider in the background and I just wanted to throw it into the back of our truck but thought Peggy might notice it was missing).

It was getting late in the day and the objective at this point was to get everything inside. People were exhausted. The base was assembled enough to stand on its own and the head was put down beside it. Assembly will happen another day (or days most likely).

I never realized what happens with an age gap like we had in this little project. The boys had this energy, enthusiasm, let’s get this job done kind of attitude. Those of us in a different generation approached it with caution, planning, fear of injury. It’s kind of sad in a way, how much we lose as we get older but on the other hand we have gained so much in experience. I dare say not a single one of those younger guys gave a thought to injury when all I was thinking about was where I can dial 911.

In writing this it suddenly dawned on me how many of these my father and grandfather moved out of the weave room at Charlton Woolens after the flood in ’55. My dad was 24 at the time, they must have had help but honestly the weave room must have had 50 looms of much larger size in it. They moved them to the next town over and rebuilt what they could out of what they salvaged. Now the burning question is how did they do it? There’s no one to ask.

I know they had family and like minded friends and I assume what happened this past weekend was similar in fashion to what happened then. People came together to work towards a larger goal. That’s the beauty of the crazy weaver community. We are surrounded by people who love our crazy and are willing to be a part of it.

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It’s been a whirlwind kind of week in preparing the Browning Bench Tool Factory for its Grand Opening this coming Saturday, the 15th. The historical society was given the use of a building that was moved and restored in 1976. It was originally a factory building used in the making of small hand tools such as hand planes.

The idea of building another building for the display of sleighs, wagons and large agricultural artifacts had been discussed during the latter part of last year but the cost of doing so was just out of reach. The Bench Tool had been used in the past for exhibits of local crafts on Old Home Day but has basically sat idle otherwise. It’s a barn essentially with no insulation but tight to the weather. It has a good roof and windows. We figured this would be the perfect annex for our agricultural display.

The sleighs, wagon, and large agricultural articles have been moved in, the smaller stuff has been making its way over. This past week with work bees we’ve sorted things to different floors and by industry, season or animal. There are displays about sugaring and skiing, tools for ice cutting and wood cutting. Dairy, haying and harvesting grains are included along with bee equipment and chicken brooders.

The third floor is a temporary exhibit on textiles and the manufacture. Shirley (the loom) is set up and being dressed this week, I will be weaving there most Saturdays through the season. There will be displays of other spinning and weaving equipment as well as some of the hand-woven artifacts from the museum.

One of the most important things for me has been the photographs. The Historical Society has a treasure trove of amazing photos and I have scanned a good many of them in the past 10 months or so. I’ve printed and mounted a great number of them to display along with the artifacts to put things in context. So while the displays come together I think the photographs will be the icing on the cake. To see the town as it was 130 years ago is an amazing thing – open fields, amazing views, industry. It’s difficult sometimes to wrap your head around it.

The trustees have come together and done an amazing job. They all really care about the history of the town and sharing it with those that are interested. If you are in the area on any Saturday through Fall from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. stop by and see what we have in our newly expanded museum, there’s something for everyone. Also consider becoming a member or lending your support as we continue to uncover treasures to share with everyone.

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I apologize to my non weaving readers for something that may not be as interesting or easily understood but I have to do this.

There are three parts as I see it to this research project on the Satinet Factory in Rowe. One of the most important to me was the cloth itself. Having never seen a piece of satinet from 1840 or so I decided that the only way I could get a real visual of what they were making was to weave a piece myself.

I was pointed in the direction of a book titled The Domestic Manufacturer’s Assistant and Family Directory in the Arts of Weaving and Dyeing by J. and R. Bronson which was originally published in 1817. The book is very informative and once you get the hang of the drafts they are very easy to figure out. This is a 6 shaft satin pattern.

So I did a little math, figured out the tie ups and started winding a warp. Satinet was woven with a cotton warp and a wool weft. I think originally it was for economic reasons. Power carders and spinning were in place before the looms were so the mills prepared the fiber but the satinet was being woven by people in their homes on large barn frame looms. Subcontractors in 1822 were being paid 10 cents per yard, or about $1.93 per yard in today’s money. Satinet was also an inexpensive cloth to manufacture and the demand for it skyrocketed in the 1830’s when clothiers began using the power-loom.

After talking to a few weavers who have an interest in historic weaving I decided that I would use 20/2 cotton and begin with a sett of 36 e.p.i. (partly because I have a 12 reed and the math was easy to do) . . . (sorry, not sorry).

I think cotton makes one of the most beautiful warps. I love the sheen. The question came up before doing this little experiment if the fabric would have been yarn dyed or piece dyed. Everyone I talked to was in a different camp on this one so I decided to do a white cotton warp with dyed wool weft. This also would make it easier to study the structure and see how the weft was covering the warp at different setts and beats.

Woohoo, tied on and ready to go. The piece in the loom was 6″ in width. I used a single ply wool for the weft that seemed about the same size as the warp. It was a left over warp from Peggy’s mill so I’m not sure of the exact size. There were some slubs on the yarn which is what you see in the weaving.

I figured I’d start out with 36 p.p.i to make it balanced but found that I had to up my beat to attain 43 p.p.i. to cover the warp. Also taken into consideration was the fulling that would occur in wet finishing. I tried setting it higher – to 40 e.p.i. but that made a very stiff cloth. I wove and wet finished 2 pieces at the two different setts with all different picks per inch, both about 12 inches in the loom. When finished they both shrank to 5 1/2 by 11 1/4 which was much less than I expected.

The wrong side of the cloth is quite lovely, the fabric itself is soft and supple. It was used mostly for trousers back in the day and you can understand it. It has a nice hand but feels like it would wear extremely well. It was also used for linings in coats and to make jackets. Civil war uniforms were very often made of satinet as well. My thought as I handled the samples was that I would love to weave some yardage for a jacket, it would be very comfortable.

My guess is this fabric would have been made with finer thread for a lighter weight but until I actually see a piece of it I won’t know. The search continues here in town, we have an extensive collection of clothing. I will also contact a few other museums to see what they have in their collections but at least now I know what I’m looking for.

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When I started working with Peggy the only compensation I asked for was blankets to give for Christmas. Quite honestly, being there, observing and helping in small ways was really compensation enough.

In one of my earliest posts about Bedfellows Blankets – It’s Always Something – I talked about the problems of badly spun yarn. There were two jobs that were being woven for the same person with the same bad yarn. One warp was finished and shipped. The other has seen an off again on again relationship with the loom over the past 9 months. Yes, that warp and I have been in close contact since I started going there. It’s now affectionately referred to as the WFH (warp from hell). Two hundred yards that have slowly and painfully made their way into cloth.

The pattern for the original job was a twill but had to be woven with double threads to give it more strength. A little over 150 yards were woven, repaired and brought to the finisher before making its way to the customer.

There were hours of mending broken threads. Finally during the summer, with the cost overruns the customer cut their losses and there we sat with 50 yards or so still on the beam. It sat there for a while.

Peggy rethreaded it a number of different ways and finally began weaving a few throws when time permitted. Warp threads still broke but different yarns for weft helped a little.

It was still an exercise in frustration. But . . . the finished throws were quite beautiful. I decided these were the ones I wanted for gifts. I brought a couple home – one herringbone and one plaited twill and wrapped them for Christmas. I asked if I got some yarn for weft could we weave one for me. I got a resounding “Are you sure?”

I got some lovely Harrisville Highland which proceeded to cause no end of problems because the weight of the yarn was just a little too much for the bobbin winder. The temps were subzero outdoors and around 55 in the weave room. Antique, oil-filled machines do not like cold temperatures so the process was slow. Finally we were off and running.

Ahhh, I love that sound. If you turn the sound up as high as it goes that’s what it sounds like with your ear protection on. I’m not sure why my grandfather wasn’t deaf.

Well, we were stopping every 10 to 15 picks as usual. The whole process was pretty painful. Photographing is was – challenging. During that little video two threads broke that I didn’t see on either side of the frame. Yup, now I was just thinking about the repairs.

Knotting the fringe was the final job before wet finishing – into the washer, cold water gentle, line dry.

The finished throw is truly wonderful. The yarn fulled as I expected making a soft, thick blanket. The fringe looks almost like raw wool ( it almost is) because it had to little twist in it. I probably should trim it and will eventually but I’m just enjoying it for now.

These past months have given me a new respect for artists who create these treasures. People will buy them and love them but will never know what went into their making. The time, the care and often frustration.

Peggy wove 3 more throws the other day while I was there. One went pretty well, the other two not so much. There’s probably another 20 yards on the warp and I asked her when she was going to be done with it – just cut it off. She told me she was going to continue to work on it. She did it to honor the wool. So with time and patience that’s what she’s doing and for me that’s the most important lesson of all.

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I’ve been reading a number of posts and memes commenting on what a horrendous year 2016 has been. If I take a quick look back I might be inclined to agree. This was a year of tremendous loss for me personally. Four people I loved dearly passed away leaving some pretty big holes. Then there was the weather – hot, hot summer, not much rain, a garden left to the weeds. We won’t even go into the news or current events.

In looking through the photographs of the year I realized that some pretty fantastic things have happened as well. With the death of my father I was given the gift of time allowing me to be involved in things that are close to my heart. This brought me into situations where I’ve met some great people and have grown in ways I never expected.

I’ve expanded my horizons by spending time with some wonderful weavers. They are the most generous people I know. The weaving I’m doing today and the direction it seems to be heading right now is pulling from the history of the craft. What began as weaving off a warp on a barn frame loom (a figure it out by yourself experience) lead to the purchase and moving of this type of loom to my house. A mention of a few of these looms available in New England started the journey into bringing one home. Snow and miles are not a deterrent to a weaver in search of a piece of equipment.

This was also a year of reunions. I’m not sure if it had to do with the loss of mutual friends or it was just timing but I spent more than a few of my weekends with people I love from past lives. Calls out of the blue from friends I haven’t talked to in decades. Calls from people on the other side of the world. Calls to gather and just remember how much we truly like each other.

It was a year of new-found friendship as well. Like minded people coming together to work on projects of mutual interest. Being more involved in a town of this size has brought me great satisfaction, friendships new and renewed and an understanding of the effort needed to keep it all together and keep politics out of it. No easy feat.

I think what I really learned is it was is all a matter of perspective. My photography has helped with that – I’m a glass half full kind of photographer. I try to share the wonder and beauty around me. I realized a long time ago that worrying about the big picture is pretty destructive. It’s not that I have my head in the sand it’s just that on a grand scale I know there’s very little I can to about it. You can’t spend hours in the day projecting what is going to happen down the road, you don’t know. Things unfold the way they unfold and it’s always in slower motion than you think it’s going to.

Going into 2017 my goals are to learn more about the things I love and share that knowledge with those who will listen (and even those that won’t – sorry). Perfect my crafts and teach others how to do these things. Be kind and generous with my time. Stay connected in a meaningful way to my friends – old and new – because you never know who needs what when and sometimes big change can happen by doing what you think is the littlest of things. Most of all, never lose that sense of wonder. There is so much to see and learn even in the smallest of things.